NATO marks its 75th birthday as Russia’s war in Ukraine gnaws at its unity

NATO marked 75 years of collective defense across Europe and North America, with its top diplomats vowing on Thursday to stay the course in Ukraine as better-armed Russian troops assert control on the battlefield.

The anniversary comes as the now 32-nation alliance weighs a plan to provide more predictable longer-term military support to Ukraine. Plagued by ammunition shortages, Ukraine this week lowered the military conscription age from 27 to 25 in an effort to replenish its depleted ranks and appealed for additional air defenses to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks.

“I didn’t want to spoil the birthday party for NATO, but I felt compelled to deliver a sobering message on behalf of Ukrainians about the state of Russian air attacks on my country, destroying our energy system, our economy, killing civilians,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who attended a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.